DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR A SUSTAINABLE …

1 DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY PREPARED BY LEYLANDALLIANCE LLC AND STEVEN WINTER ASSOCIATES AUGUST 5, 2008 SECTION I: Vision for a SUSTAINABLE Village ..3 Objectives of the Sustainability Program ..3 Evolution of the Sustainability GUIDELINES ..5 SECTION II: MASTER PLANNING STANDARDS and GUIDELINES ..6 How to Use the Master Planning Standards and GUIDELINES ..6 Master Planning Standards and GUIDELINES ..7 Category MP-1: Conservation and Land Use Efficiency GUIDELINES ..7 Storrs Center: Application of Category 1 Principles .. 10 Category MP-2: GUIDELINES for Creating Compact, livable , and Connected Communities .. 11 Storrs Center: Application of Category 2 Principles .. 13 Category MP-3: Constructing a SUSTAINABLE Public Realm (Site Specific GUIDELINES ).. 15 Submission/Verification of Category 3 Principles.

2 17 Section iII: BUILDING STANDARDS and GUIDELINES .. 19 How to Use the Building Standards and GUIDELINES .. 19 Storrs Center Building 19 Category BC-1: Site Issues .. 19 Submission/Verification of Category 1 Principles .. 20 Category BC-2: Water Use and Management .. 20 Submission/Verification of Category 2 Principles .. 21 Category BC-3: Energy Conservation .. 22 Submission/Verification of Category 3 Principles .. 27 Category BC-4: Indoor Environmental Quality .. 27 Submission/Verification of Category 4 Principles .. 30 Category BC-5: Materials .. 31 Submission/Verification of Category 5 Principles .. 32 SECTION iV: FORMS for building standards/ GUIDELINES ..33 Storrs Center Building GUIDELINES Checklist: Civil and Site 34 Storrs Center Building GUIDELINES Checklist: Building Construction .. 37 Storrs Center Building Standards Application Form.

3 43 Storrs Center Building Standards Final Certification Form .. 44 SECTION V: 45 Reading List ..45 Table of contents LeylandAlliance LLC Note: This section on each page is devoted to illustrating principles of smart growth and strategies for SUSTAINABLE development. PAGE 3 Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place* Smart growth encourages communities to craft a vision and set standards for development and construction which respond to community values of architectural beauty and distinctiveness, as well as expanded choices in housing and transportation. * From SmartGrowthOnline Vision for a SUSTAINABLE Village SUSTAINABLE development has been defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs a long term approach.

4 Such a definition embraces an effort to curtail pollution and conserve energy and en-courages a broad strategy of balancing the creation of SUSTAINABLE human communities with the protection and preservation of natural resources. In the context of development, pursuit of these goals in-volves determining what kind of development should occur, where it should occur, and how it should relate to the surrounding net-works of human communities and natural ecosystems. Creating a lasting sense of community and meaningful existence that is tied to the environment will ultimately determine whether a neighbor-hood, development, or town will endure the test of time. It is a premise of the Storrs Center project that the creation of livable , sus-tainable places depends upon the relationship of the project to sur-rounding neighborhoods, to the Town of Mansfield, to the Univer-sity of Connecticut, and to the natural environment and landscape.

5 As so many of today s historical towns and cities illustrate, one of the most effective ways to limit the imprint of man upon the land and use resources wisely is to focus on creating communities that endure as appealing places to live, work, learn and play. Applying Principles of Sustainability to the Creation of a New Town Plan A SUSTAINABLE strategy is essential to the creation of any vital, lasting and livable community. SUSTAINABLE development begins with the recognition of the fundamental interrelationship of social, environ-mental, and economic considerations. A SUSTAINABLE approach must start at the largest scale in decisions about where and what to build and should pervade the planning and construction processes down to the smallest details. The result is a well defined sense of place.

6 An organic interrelationship with the surrounding physical and cultural environment will afford the longevity, livability, and vitality to make the project an enduring success. A SUSTAINABLE project demands that people and nature be allowed to exist together in a healthy and mutually supportive way. This ap-proach also recognizes the relatively short life of human beings and their built environment in the midst of the natural environment; for a place to endure for generations, it must recognize the impact of man on the natural environment. As with historical examples, a suc-cessful town plan establishes these principles from the beginning, creating fundamental relationships to the land as well as a frame-work that can adapt organically over time to modification, renova-tion, changing occupants, and changing uses, as well as the occa-sional replacement of building components.

7 With the passage of time, a good town plan should embody a vision of efficient land use and natural resource protection together with a focus on the value of the public realm that will convey an enduring and SUSTAINABLE sense of place. Objectives of the Sustainability Program Storrs Center GUIDELINES for Smart Growth and SUSTAINABLE Development The sustainability program of Storrs Center is based on principles of Smart Growth and SUSTAINABLE Development practices, including preservation of open space and critical ecosystems, using land re-sources efficiently, encouraging redevelopment of previously devel-oped areas within existing communities, and creating desirable neighborhoods with a compelling sense of place. The Storrs Center development will be a compact, walkable, efficient, and diverse community.

8 Compact planning strategies and mixed-use neighbor-hood and building designs will facilitate stakeholder participation, minimize the use of natural resources and the construction of new infrastructure, reduce dependence on cars, and preserve valuable Section I: Introduction PAGE 4 Section I: Introduction existing natural landscape features such as the wetland and wooded upland areas. A predictable, fair, and cost effective development process will be created through open communication between pri-vate and public sector participants. Storrs Center will be developed with consideration for the community s long term economic, social, and ecological potential and values. Together with the approved DESIGN GUIDELINES and master plan, the sustainability GUIDELINES are intended to provide a cohesive and comprehensive approach to the development of Storrs Center.

9 As enumerated in the Municipal Development Plan, the sustainability GUIDELINES have been designed to address several key areas of sus-tainable building practices. These categories include: Project Siting and Intelligent Land Use Storrs Center will be designed as a compact, pedestrian friendly, mixed-use development that is sensitive to the existing commu-nities and environmental conditions. Based on surveys of adja-cent neighborhoods and studies of existing biodiversity, the pro-ject will be developed in order to minimize impact on existing land and create opportunities for connection with established neighborhoods and institutions. Greenfield sites will be pro-tected to the greatest extent possible by focusing construction and higher occupant densities in areas of previous development with established infrastructure.

10 The natural landscape, especially wetlands and other areas important to the existing ecosystems, will be restored, preserved, and used to establish meaningful limits on development sites. Properly scaled and carefully de-signed streetscapes will foster a pedestrian friendly environ-ment, minimizing automobile usage and associated deleterious environmental effects. Improving Site Resource Management Development of the Conceptual Master Plan will focus on the conservation of potable water and the careful management of stormwater runoff. Requirements for the use of native and adapted plantings (needing little or no irrigation), efficient ap-pliances, and low-flow plumbing fixtures throughout the devel-opment will be utilized to reduce potable water consumption.